The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-07

by the parents, and probably was regarded in
much the same light by the teacher, whose rest
less activity needed more occupation than his
congregation afforded him. But the building of
his new church soon took up his spare time and
energy, and his schoolmaster's experience did
not outlast the year of its beginning
The Second Presbyterian Church. far ofteDer
called "Beechers,' was so far completed by the
latter part of the summer that the basement
being the lecture and Sunday-school room, was
used by the congregation. The dedication took
place on the 4th of October 1910. For seven
years Henry Ward Beecher was here laying the
foundations and building the central structure
of his renown. Circle Hall is the same building,
changed In the exterior only by the removal of
broad fight of steps and the pillared semi
circular recess, or open vestibule, from which
the auditorium was entered, and stairways led
to the choir gallery. During some years of Mr..
Beecher's service in this new edifce there
about remarkable a clerical association as
occurred in this country Henry Ward
Beecher held the church on the west side of the
Circle-then encountered with the Governors
house" that no Governor ever lived in-on Mar
ket street; Phineas D. Gurley was pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church, exactly opposite
on the east side Of the Circle, the site of the
journal Office AT that time forty odd
years ago, Mr.. Gurley was held quito the equal
of Mr. Beecher and had quite as high and wide
reputation, enlarged in later life in Washing
ton City and other Eastern cities, but not keep
ing quite up to mis- ''rival. an unpleasant but no
infrequent distinction. On the south side of the
same Circle, at the other end of Mr. Beecher's
quadrant" Lucien W. Berry. pastor of
Wesley Chapel, held above both the others by
his own church and denomination, and but little
below either IN popular estimation. He died
while President of Asbury tDePauw) University.
but would have surely held position beside the
lamented Matthew Simpson had ne lived as
long. Three ADLER preachers of wider reuown
than these have rarely preached almost within
the sound of each others voices
The first conspicuous effort of Mr. Reecher
above the level of his ordinary pastoral duties
was revival begun in February, 1912. The
meetings were held every night for n considera
BILE time in the lecture room Of the church, and
attracted more attention and aroused more in
terest among the young men of the city than any
religious awakening that had ever occurred
here. number of the most prominent young
professional and business men joined the
church, and-rather unusually for conversions
carried by storm in revival-most of them
lived and died in the church. Some few
still living-old men now, but faithful to their
professions. At that time a controversy was
going on-raging would hardly be too strong a
scription-between the Christian denomina-
| ton (called then Disciples" and Campbell
ites'), and other sectaries, on the mode of bap-
tsm. the former holding immersion to be the
only proper effcacous mode, Metnodists and
Presby terians dissenting Public debates were
frequent and sometimes acrimonious. adherent
of the comparatively sect here of Disciples
being invariably one of the contestants Rev.
that denomination, once, in good
humored and rather iocular tone.
in the hearing of the writer, challenged Mr..
Beecher to public debate, but the challenge
was declined as pleasantly as it offered. In
this state of feeling among the denominations
here and all over the West, Mr. Beecher carried
on his first revival, and incident of it made
him the subject of the first very harsh censure
he had probably ever encountered His cougre-
CATION and many spectators had gathered on the
canal bank near Kentucky avenue bridge to
witness the baptism, by immersion in the canal,
of one of the revival converts, son of Scion W.
Norris, a prominent citizen, who believed IN
that mode of administration of the rite Before
proceeding with it Mr.. Beecher made brief
speech to the crowd, in which he said that he
held any mode of baptism effectual, but would
| always that which the subject of it pre-
ferred. This was little less then than an avowal
| of aenostic;sm now, to the ''immersonists," and
! they made Mr. Beecher the text of a good deal
OF unpleasant anlmadversion
So far in his career in Indianapolis, Mr.. Beech
| ers labors and honors were almost wholly local.
Occasional visitors from different parts of the
! State, not few members of the Legislature,
now and then resident returning to his former
| home, carried reports of his eoouence abroad.
| but he had to the point where he
| could spread the evidence of his ability in the
widest and surest way. In 1913 he delivered
| series of twelve Lectures to Young Men" pr-
| marily aiming to warn his revival converts and
| their associates of the temptations, peris, strug
! giles, that lie in the paths of young men, and the
| methods of avoidance resistance. They were
a we'll done piece of work, 10 a literary point of
view, better done as shrewd ard sound esti-
| mate or the condition and necessities OF young
men, especially in city life. They were always
! largely attended, and almost always cordially
| approved. The ONLY exception was that the
| Strange Woman" and that, as he humorousiy
says in his preface, received harsher censure be-
| fore it was read than after. considerable edi-
| ton WAS sold here, and a second issued. which
| was republished in England. the first work of an
! Indiana authCr hOnOrad
had become one of the conspicuous men Of the
| State, and better known, probably. than any
resident of this city, except some of its prom-
nent politicians and public officers like ey Gov
! ernor Noble-whose funeral sermon he preached
| in Ex-Governor Wallace, ex-UniteG
| States Senator Oliver H. Smith. ex Governor
| Ray, and that is much to say of a young man
! barely thirty and but half dozen wears resi-
dent of the State But his fame was to grow
still. and, like all fame, to attract enTity IS
| we'll as admiration.
Not long after his lectures. in accordance
| with an order suggestion of general
| church organization, he delivered sermon on
slavery. starting with the 1sraelites in Egypt as
| his text, or rather as the preface of his attack
! on American slavery. At that time the slave
power was not only dominant but defiant. 1t
| owned the Democratic party bodily, and con-
siderable portion of the Wing opposition. To
| assall it WAS political ruin and social ostracism.
Mr.. Beeeher, however, did not spare for any
consideration of enmity personal disadvan-
tage. His sermon was the first outright, down
right, painspeaking estimate of the relic OF
barbarism" ever heard here And it provoked
more comment than any before since. One
of his sisters. in sketch of his residence here
SAYS ''Nobody was offended" 1t is mistake
Several Democratic members of his church de-
nounced it without measure. and left in wrath
though later they all returned. The Sentinel
of the Chapmans roughly handled. with sup
preston Of name place, the preaching Of
politics from the pulpit" But the greater par
of the congregation were, if not pleased, at leas
not irritated enough to make a fuss about it,
Some two three years before he left his
church here for the Plymouth" in Brooklyn
he delivered several sermons on the subject O
temperance His father was one of the first i